DARPA and Aurora Flight Sciences Advance eVTOL Research

Boeing Subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences announced yesterday that a recent agreement from DARPA will allow for the transfer of Aurora’s X-plane developed eVTOL technology to commercial applications.

The x-plane technology, largely focused on piloting ducted fan and electric battery implementation in vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, will now be slated for wide-spread commercial application. The technology also included tilt-wing and tilt-canard-based propulsion.

Why it’s important: DARPA’s involvement in shepherding research-stage technology to commercial wide-scale implementation is indicative of government involvement and activism toward advancing the field of eVTOL aircraft. This announcement also reflects the quantity of work to be done if larger scale regulators, such as the FAA and EASA, plan to certify these new airborne systems as quickly as they are being researched and developed.